Jump to navigation

The University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give
  • Search UMass.edu
ApplyGive
x
ContactAlumniStudents
ApplyGive
About
DeanMission & VisionVirtual TourDiversity & InclusionRankingsFactsNews & EventsHistoryBusiness Innovation HubCorporate PartnersRecruiting
Programs
Undergraduate ProgramsGraduate ProgramsOnline ProgramsDoctoral ProgramDepartmentsAdmissionsTuition & Financial Aid
Centers & Research
Faculty ResearchBerthiaume Center for EntrepreneurshipBusiness Communication CenterCenter for International Securities and Derivatives Markets (CISDM)Chase Career CenterMassachusetts Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDC)McCormack Center for Sport Research and EducationVirtual Center for Supernetworks
Directory
LeadershipFacultyEndowed FacultyStaffStudentsAlumni
newsisenberg alumni start wine import business

News

Currently Showing:

Isenberg Alumni Start Wine Import Business

October 16, 2020
fb,tw,in,

Kaden and Jace Chaffee“Starting our own business has been scary but liberating,” confesses Jace Chaffee. A 2008 Isenberg finance grad with a second major in economics, Jace took the plunge earlier this year along with his brother Kaden Chaffee, who graduated from Isenberg in 2010 with a degree in marketing. Their startup, Boston-based Vine Farmer, imports and wholesales wines from growers in Italy and Germany for sale to retailers and restaurants in Massachusetts. Vine Farmer also collaborates with a second firm in a “retail outpost” for nationwide distribution directly to wine lovers.

The startup, notes Jace, was three years in the making. And the idea for the business gestated earlier in a “slow burn” over an additional three years.  Eventually, avocation became vocation. “Jace is both a wine geek and a certified sommelier,” emphasizes Kaden (on left in photo, pictured with his brother). “That is reflected in the 68 different wines that we import.” The brothers source their products directly from fifteen growers in Italy, one in Germany, and one in the United States (Oregon). That entails overseas buying trips with a translator. “It’s a people business—a business based on relationships and mutual respect,” adds Jace. “We look for dedicated stewards of the land who champion its location and vintage conditions.”

Back home, the brothers reserve Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for visits to retailers, including tastings. “It’s a grind. It’s on me to gain the attention of potential customers,” remarks Kaden. “We both go out together. I set things up. Jace knocks them down with his nuanced knowledge of wine.” The business, the brothers continue, is entirely self-financed. “We’re working to build a brand—eventually with a national distribution,” says Jace. “In a pandemic year, you might expect an especially uphill battle,” he muses. “But sales to retailers have been strong, reflecting robust home wine consumption.” 

The Road from Isenberg to Entrepreneurship

After graduating from Isenberg, Jace joined Thomson Reuters in analytic consulting positions. His career, he says, largely followed a trajectory of employment with larger and then smaller firms, including startups. In February 2020, he left SHYFT Analytics, a cloud data management provider to the global life sciences industry, to devote all of his energies to Vine Farmer. Before joining his brother, Kaden held account management and product development posts with various corporations, including Avery Dennison.

“Isenberg was strong on academics and career recruitment,” Jace recalls. “We both got jobs right away. That was no mean feat considering how hard the job market was back then. Nothing, of course really prepares you for a startup like ours. It’s all academic until you do it.”

 

Related News

View all news

Princeton Review Recognizes Campus for Its Graduate Entrepreneurship Studies

Isenberg’s Poets & Quants Undergraduate Ranking Improves Again

Dean Massey Hosts Lunchtime Chats

@IsenbergUMass

On this week's episode of HubChats, we speak with recently retired senior writer & editor for Isenberg, Louis Wigdo… https://t.co/gFVN4YkSi5 — 2 days 10 hours ago
Congratulations to McCormack alum Greg Carvel (MS '98), coach of the NCAA champion UMass Amherst men's hockey team,… https://t.co/zUSbwTsIPp — 5 days 5 hours ago
We're still reeling from the excitement of @UMassHockey's win — CONGRATULATIONS to our national champions!🤩🏒🏆🚩… https://t.co/ziZjkH1q9s — 5 days 5 hours ago

News by Category

Alumni News & ProfilesFaculty NewsStudent NewsEntrepreneurship NewsRankings News

News by Department

AccountingFinanceHospitality & Tourism ManagementManagementMcCormack Department of Sport ManagementMarketingOperations & Information Management

News by Program

Doctoral ProgramMasters ProgramMBA ProgramUndergraduate Program
Isenberg School of Management
University of Massachusetts Amherst
121 Presidents Drive
Amherst, MA 01003
GiveApply NowVisiting Campus
AboutDeanFactsNews & EventsRankingsHistoryTimeline
ConnectContact UsFaculty DirectoryStaff Directory
CalendarsMBA Info SessionsEntrepreneurshipChase Career CenterAlumni
Sitemap
ProgramsBachelor of Business Administration (BBA)Bachelor of Science (BS)Online Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)Online Bachelor of Science (BS)Online Master of Business Administration (MBA)On-Campus Master of Business Administration (MBA)Master of Finance in Alternative InvestmentsMaster of Science in AccountingMaster of Science in Business AnalyticsMaster of Science in Sport ManagementMBA/MS Dual DegreesDoctoralCertificates
DepartmentsAccountingBusiness CommunicationFinanceHospitality & Tourism ManagementManagementMark H. McCormack Dept of Sport ManagementMarketingOperations & Information Management
Prospective StudentsUndergraduate ProgramsMasters ProgramsOnline ProgramsDoctoral ProgramsCertification ProgramsStudent Life at UMass Amherst
CentersBerthiaume Center for EntrepreneurshipBusiness Communication CenterCenter for International Securities and Derivatives MarketsChase Career CenterMassachusetts Small Business Development CenterMcCormack Center for Sport ResearchVirtual Center for Supernetworks
AlumniEventsNews & ProfilesGet InvolvedUpdate Profile
EngageGive NowEndowmentsScholarship Fund
CorporateEducational PartnersRecruiting
ServicesAdministrative ServicesHuman ResourcesRoom RequestTSSMarketing & Communications
University of Massachusetts Amherst
©2021 University of Massachusetts Amherst · Site Policies · Accessibility

You are now leaving the Isenberg School of Management web site. If you have any questions regarding the content or privacy of these sites, please contact the site administrator directly.

Continue
Close